UK cruise facilities 'are being invested in'

The UK's cruise capacity is increasing in order to facilitate the growing number of Brits choosing to take cruise holidays, an industry expert has said.

According to the Passenger Shipping Association (PSA), one in every ten cruises now booked starts in a UK port and unless the industry expands it will not be able to cope with the demand.

What is more, this 40 per cent market share is expected to rise in 2010.

A report published by the PSA found that there has been an 18 per cent increase of[IN] cruise bed nights booked by UK passengers who choose to take this kind of holiday for longer in 2008.

This increase represents the third consecutive year of growth for the cruise industry and means that nearly 1.5 billion holidaymakers take this kind of holiday every year - a fact made particularly impressive considering the global credit crunch.

William Gibbons, director of the PSA, said: "We've got two types of cruising- cruising from the UK ports or fly cruises. Fly cruises widen your scope in that you can fly to Australia to go on an around the world trip.

"Cruising from a UK port has a lot of advantages in terms of luggage. You don't have to worry about luggage being overweight or whether you have too much; you can drive to your port to catch a cruise. You don't have the hassle of flying and you don't have to have the airport experience.

"For instance, if you're taking a cruise to the Mediterranean, which is the most popular destination, you've got a choice of flying there or cruising to the Mediterranean out of Southampton."

One in every 12 package holidays booked in the UK is now a cruise compared to only one in 26 in 1999, with all-inclusive deals appealing to holidaymakers looking to budget their breaks down to the last penny before they set sail.

In terms of destinations, the Mediterranean remains the favourite cruise destination for the British but northern and western Europe are catching up fast and overtook the Caribbean, which was the second favourite location in 2008.

Mr Gibbons advised passengers that some destinations are better than others for first-time cruisers.

He explained: "If you are going on a cruise for the first time, it is important you spend a bit of time deciding first of all where you want to go. Cruising is still very much destination-led and people will go on a cruise to the Caribbean because they want to see the Caribbean.

"It's very important that you do a profile of yourself to work out what you want."

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